CROMWELL, OLIVER

born April 25, 1599, Huntingdon, Huntingdonshire, Eng. died Sept. 3, 1658, London Cromwell, painting by Robert Walker. In the National Portrait Gallery, London. English soldier and statesman who led parliamentary forces in the English Civil Wars; he was lord protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1653 to 1658 during the republican Commonwealth. As one of the generals on the parliamentary side in the English Civil War against King Charles I, Cromwell helped to bring about the overthrow of the Stuart monarchy, and, as lord protector, he raised his country's status once more to that of a leading European power from the decline it had gone through since the death of Queen Elizabeth I. A man of outstanding gifts and a forceful character, he was one of the most remarkable rulers in modern European history, for although a convinced Calvinist, he believed deeply in the value of religious toleration. At the same time Cromwell's victories at home and abroad helped to enlarge and sustain a Puritan attitude of mind, both in Great Britain and in North America, that continued to influence political and social life until recent times. born April 25, 1599, Huntingdon, Huntingdonshire, Eng. died Sept. 3, 1658, London English soldier and statesman who led parliamentary forces in the English Civil Wars; he was lord protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1653 to 1658 during the Commonwealth. A brief account of the life and works of Oliver Cromwell follows; for a full biography, see Cromwell, Oliver. Cromwell studied at Cambridge, married Elizabeth Bourchier (1620), and inherited property from his mother's brother. His political career began with his election to Parliament in 1628. In 1641 he supported the Grand Remonstrance presented to Charles I by Parliament. The next year he became a captain in the parliamentary army at the Battle of Edgehill, and in 1643 he served in the eastern counties of England. When the new parliamentary army was formed in 1644, Cromwell was appointed second in command and fought in the battle at Marston Moor, as well as at the battles of Naseby and Langport the following year and at the siege of Oxford (1646). Two years later, following the Civil War and the execution of Charles I, Cromwell became first chairman of the Council of State of the new republic; in that position he waged campaigns against Ireland (until 1650) and Scotland (1650). In 1653, after first forcibly dissolving Parliament, he became lord protector; while serving in that office he concluded the Anglo-Dutch War (1654), sent an expeditionary force to the Spanish West Indies (1655), and opposed the monopolies established under the Tudors. Additional reading Cromwell's letters and speeches are collected in Wilbur Cortez Abbott (ed.), The Writings and Speeches of Oliver Cromwell, 4 vol. (193747, reissued 1988); these volumes also contain a sound and detailed narrative of his career.Books on Cromwell include three by distinguished statesmenFrench, American, and British: Franois Guizot, Life of Oliver Cromwell, new ed. (1860, reissued 1899; originally published in French, 1854); Theodore Roosevelt, Oliver Cromwell (1900); and John Morley, Oliver Cromwell (1900, reprinted 1923), which includes numerous illustrations. C.H. Firth, Oliver Cromwell and the Rule of the Puritans in England (1900, reissued 1972), is an excellent and fair work. Detailed biographies include Robert S. Paul, The Lord Protector: Religion and Politics in the Life of Oliver Cromwell (1955, reissued 1964); Maurice Ashley, The Greatness of Oliver Cromwell (1957, reissued 1969); and Antonia Fraser, Cromwell (1973). Barry Coward, Oliver Cromwell (1991), is a concise analysis. Christopher Hill, God's Englishman (1970), places Cromwell in perspective from a Marxist point of view, examining conflicting social and economic forces surrounding the revolution. Ivan Roots (ed.), Cromwell: A Profile (1973), is an anthology of essays by specialists, including an essay surveying evaluations of Cromwell from the 17th to the 20th century. Roy Sherwood, The Court of Oliver Cromwell (1977, reissued 1989), is an examination, as the title suggests, of his court. John Morrill (ed.), Oliver Cromwell and the English Revolution (1990), presents a collection of critical studies. Maurice Ashley The Editors of the Encyclopdia Britannica